Good Morning Chicago DSA,

I want to dedicate this week’s opening section to the Bowletariat, CDSA’s abortion bowl-a-thon team. They’ve been fundraising for the Chicago Abortion Fund for a number of years now but this year they took it up a notch, raising $12,880. They were the highest raising team from Chicago. The second place team came in at $8,698, so yeah, they killed it and our chapter has a lot to be proud of in this team.

However, today, May 5th, is the last official day of fundraising, and they way I see it, $12,880 is a number that’s very very close to $13,000. Like very close. Like, we’re only a handful of lovely This Week in the CDSA readers making some kind donations on the Bowletariat donation page right now away from $13,000 close.

Look, all I’m saying is that $13,000 would be a much nicer, round number for us to tweet and tell reporters about instead of the mouthful that is twelve thousand eight hundred and eighty. I think we can make $13,000 happen, ya’ll, but either way, massive congratulations to the Bowletariat. You’re fantastic and you’ve provided a vital service by making abortion more accessible.

We’ve got a lot of awesome events on the calendar this week. All the information is below. I’ll see you out there, comrades 🙂

Sunday, May 5

Incarcerated Mother’s Day Vigil and Toiletry Drive; 11 AM – 12:30 PM; Cook County Jail; 2700 S. California AveThis event has been endorsed by CDSA. We’ll meet on the grass median directly across from Division 5 of Cook County Jail with flowers for people visiting loved ones inside, performances, messages from moms inside, and a speaker line-up centering those who have been locked away from loved ones. We’ll share action steps and invitations to current freedom campaigns and other initiatives in solidarity with incarcerated caregivers. We’ll collect toiletry donations (Follow the event link for more information) for people incarcerated at Logan prison (the largest designated women’s facility in IL) and we’ll share drop-off locations too. Please come out and attend if you are able!

Socialist Night School: Social Reproduction; 1 PM – 3 PM; UE Hall; 37 S. Ashland AveWe will be exploring the basics of social reproduction theory (SRT) — how are workers reproduced & what impacts/implications does this have for socialist work. We’ll also be discussing how SRT has been used in cases of organizing black American domestic workers, fast food workers, and nurses. The readings are linked here (if you can’t make it through all of them, just do your best!). Our classes are intended to foster discussion and to help us all better understand the texts and each other. It is not necessary to have attended previous sessions to attend this one. If you’re interested in attending, please RSVP here. See you there!

Monday, May 6

Housing Working Group Meeting; 7 PM – 8:30 PM; National Public Housing Museum; 625 N. Kingsbury St.Please join us for our monthly meeting, where we’ll be discussing our ongoing projects and upcoming events, doing some political education, and electing a new steering committee!

Tuesday, May 7

Anti-Racism Working Group Meeting; 7 PM – 9 PM; UE Hall; 37 S. Ashland Ave.Join us for our May monthly meeting of the Anti-Racism Working Group as we discuss our project plans for the summer, police reform, immigrant defense, and steps moving forward.

Labor Working Group Meeting; 7 PM – 9 PM; UE Hall; 37 S. Ashland Ave.Come to the Labor Working Group’s monthly meeting! We are an intersectional group of labor militants who are actively rebuilding the labor movement from the ground-up through organizing the unorganized and strengthening the power of the organized rank-and-file worker. We demand a proactive labor movement, both nationally and locally, that can combat worker exploitation and respond to the new economy of fissured workplaces. We believe that in order to overthrow capitalism we need to build a militant movement of labor activists.

Wednesday, May 8

Lift the Ban – Springfield Day of Action; 5:30 AM – 6:30 PM; SpringfieldThe coalition to Lift The Ban on rent control is going to the capitol to demand our legislators and governor act to pass HB255 which will allow local communities to address the ongoing housing crisis. Check the event page posts to RSVP a spot on our buses which depart at 6 am.

North Side Branch Meeting; 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM; Hairpin Arts Center; 2810 N. Milwaukee Ave.CDSA’s Northside Branch will be hosting candidates for delegate to DSA’s National Convention this August in Atlanta with time for discussion and to meet the candidates.

Medicare For All Happy Hour; 5 PM – 7 PM; The Hideout; 1354 W. Wabansia Ave.Join fellow DSAers passionate about Medicare for All for a beverage and great discussion on Medicare for All! Learn what you can do to get involved, what “Medicare for America” is and how it compares to Medicare for All, and learn about the DSA. This event is highly recommended for new members and those yet to join us yet!

2019 Debs Dinner and Dance Party; 7 PM – late; Letter Carrier’s Union Hall; 3850 S. Wabash AveTickets to this event are sold out! Hopefully you were able to purchase one before they ran out. We’ll see everybody there for an exciting and eventful evening!

Sunday, May 12

South Side Convention Delegate Forum; 1 PM – 4 PM; UE Hall; 37 S. Ashland Ave;Hear from candidates for convention delegate as they go into detail on where they stand on the issues that will be debated at convention.

Other

Our Socialist Feminist Working Group has started fundraising for the Chicago Abortion Fund through the annual Abortion Bowl-A-Thon! Last year, the team – the Bowletariat – raised over ten thousand dollars for abortion access. To find out more about the team and why they’re raising money and to then be in such awe that you want to donate money and also maybe join the team, check out the team’s donation profile!

Chicago DSA is going to be out canvassing for Medicare For All pretty much every weekend (as long as the weather is good. You sign up for as well as find information about times and locations for the canvasses here.

Make sure to register to vote in the upcoming convention delegate election. Candidate statements can be foundhere.

The Strike and Solidarity Committee is looking for strike captains! If you’re interested in being a strike captain (no experience required!), fill out this survey about the times and areas where you could help. They have also set up an SMS system to keep people posted about strike and solidarity actions. People that want to get updates should text SOLIDARITY to 55222.

If you aren’t on the CDSA Slack Channel yet, but would like to be, shoot me an email at cdsacomms@gmail.com and I’ll get you set up with it.

Grievance Policy. If you ever feel you are being harassed by another member of DSA, or made to feel uncomfortable by a member, or have a conflict with another member, please reach out to hgo@chicagodsa.org to get in touch with our chapter’s Harassment and Grievance Officers.

As Always:

Fill out this form immediately if you have CDSA organized/sponsored event you want on the calendar. To get the event on this email, it must be submitted by the preceding Friday.

Check out the events page on our website for the most up date list of events.